The recent debate over Appeal Court verdicts on various election matters, particularly the Kano State Governorship, has troubled people in the North and the South.
A coalition of three pressure groups in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, stated that “the judiciary must immediately look inwards to correct the negative impression that Nigerians have about them.”
The South-South Routine Movement, the Bayelsa Routine Movement, and the Delta Youth Movement for Good Governance are among the organisations.
Podoki Austin, the Coalition’s spokesperson, called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate complaints about election tribunal and appeal court decisions in Zamfara, Plateau, and especially Kano States during a media briefing in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
“Even to us as youths in the South-South, it is glaringly clear that the contradictory nature of the lead judgment in the Kano Appeal case is scandalous and is an indicator of what the people of Nigeria see about the judiciary!” he said Sunday.
He said “a couple of paragraphs and sentences cannot be defined as ‘clerical error’ as put forward in the defense by the Appeal Court.
The coalition of South-South pressure groups warned that such errors must be checked to avoid detonating a time bomb in the country.
They also claimed that the nation’s democracy is further placed under threat judging by the conduct of the recent off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states.
The Coalition is also concerned about the cost of governance, which they said is at the expense of the daily survival of the citizens.
They therefore demand an immediate reduction in the cost of governance and the reduction of interest rate by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“We call on governments at all levels, especially at the federal level, to cut its costs. Our country is neck deep in debt and we are still borrowing,” it said.
“Unfortunately, our government is busy buying four-wheel drives, renovating, and still enjoying the same VIP privileges whilst it has told the people to tighten their belts (thus removing petroleum subsidies, etc). The size of government is too big and it must be pruned down to an efficient size.”